Five Facts About Bobsleighing in Jamaica

Jamaica’s debut in bobsleighing at the Winter Olympics took place in 1988 at the games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, which took place between February 13 and 28. That first team comprised Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Freddy Powell, Devon Harris and Chris Stokes.

A movie, Cool Runnings, was made based on Jamaica’s entrance into the Winter Olympics for the first time.

The Jamaica team returned to the Winter Olympics in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2014. In 2014, the nation qualified for the two-man bobsled at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

The nation also qualified for the 2018 Pyongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea. The driver, Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, competed for the United States in the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. The other athlete was Carrie Russell, who competed in the 4×100 metres relay event at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics, winning a gold medal.

The name of the sled used in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games was ‘Cool Bolt’ – a mashup name based on the movie ‘Cool Runnings’, as well as Jamaica’s legendary sprint athlete Usain Bolt.